Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP > Tokyo, Japan > Firm Profile

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
IZUMI GARDEN TOWER, 28TH FLOOR
1-6-1 ROPPONGI, MINATO-KU
TOKYO 106-6028
Japan

Email firm Visit website 81 3 3224 2900 81 3 3224 2901

Japan > Dispute resolution: International firms and joint ventures Tier 1

The Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s dispute team is at the forefront of data protection and cyber security disputes, while also having a broad international arbitration and dispute resolution practice. The Tokyo team led by Shinsuke Yakura , also advises on complex white collar-defence, whistle-blower, anti-bribery and anti-corruption matters for both Japanese and international clients in cross-border matters. Yakura specialises in arbitration and litigation proceedings, and is also head of the firm’s Japan practice. Also of note is associate Haruka Matsumoto, who supports the team's commercial dispute practice, particularly in the labour and employment sectors. Recent instructions for the team include representing NEC in a dispute against Micron Technology in relation to a cartel investigation on D-RAM products.

Leading individuals: Bengoshi

Shinsuke Yakura - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Rising stars: Bengoshi

Kazuo Isshiki - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Haruka Matsumoto - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Practice head(s):

Shinsuke Yakura

Other key lawyers:

Haruka Matsumoto

Key clients

Canon Medical System Corporation

Daicel Corporation

Fujifilm Health Care

Morinaga Milk Industry

NEC Corporation

Nomura Holdings

Sanei International

Toyota Motor Corporation

WeWork Japan

Japan > Intellectual property: International firms and joint ventures Tier 2

The Tokyo IP team at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has extensive experience representing international and Japanese clients across the food, chemical, and technology industries. Comprising patent attorneys and attorneys at law, the firm is regularly instructed on Japan and international patent disputes and SEP licensing disputes. The firm also provides comprehensive advice in copyright and trademark actions, unfair competition matters, and trade secret issues. Led by Shinsuke Yakura , the practice also handles non-contentious work such as portfolio management and licensing. The firm is also adept at advising on matters involving AI, the IoT and big data technology legal issues. At a non-partner level, Masao Fujino and Anri Nakamoto are key contacts.

Leading individuals: Bengoshi

Shinsuke Yakura - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Rising stars: Gaiben

Anri Nakamoto - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Practice head(s):

Shinsuke Yakura

Other key lawyers:

Masao Fujino; Anri Nakamoto

Japan > Labour and employment: International firms and joint ventures Tier 2

The Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP employment and labour practice focuses on representing global companies in disputes. The firm offers a global employment and equity compensation practice to provide comprehensive, cross-office assistance and advice for employment litigation and transactional matters. The team is led by Yumiko Ohta whose experience encompasses advising foreign companies and subsidiaries in developing and implementing employment strategies for their Japanese operations. At a non-partner level, Kane Huang and Yusuke Kobayashi are key members in the team.

Next Generation Partners: Bengoshi

Yumiko Ohta - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Practice head(s):

Yumiko Ohta

Other key lawyers:

Kane Huang; Yusuke Kobayahi

Japan > Projects and energy: International firms and joint ventures Tier 2

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s renewable energy practice is known for advising on some of the region’s largest wind and solar projects. The team covers both inbound and outbound work, and handles both onshore and offshore projects. Yoichi Katayama, who acts for multinational developers and financial institutions in international power, telecoms and other infrastructure projects, leads the team, which also includes Minako Wakabayashi who focuses on project financings and Yoko Inui who remains a key contact for permits and real estate matters for inbound renewable energy projects.

Practice head(s):

Yoichi Katayama

Other key lawyers:

Minako Wakabayashi; Yuko Inui

Key clients

Afterfit K.K.

Future Asset Management KK

Hergo Japan Energy

i-Access Energy GmbH

Invenergy Japan

juwi Shizen Energy Inc.

Shizen Energy

Obton A/S

Osaka Gas

Pacifico Energy

Pattern Energy Group LP and Green Power Investment Corporation

Work highlights

Advised Invenergy, a major international renewable energy developer and operator, on the development of two solar power projects totalling 35 MW AC located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, including for the recently closed project financing from Shinsei Bank for the construction and operation of the projects.
Advised Green Power Investment Corporation (“GPI”), an independent, fully integrated energy company that develops, constructs, owns and operates renewable energy projects and transmission assets across Japan, on its joint venture with Tohoku Electric Power Co., Ltd., a major utility in Japan.
Advised Invenergy on its joint venture with Tohoku Electric Power Co., Ltd., which will enable the continuation of the development of the 102 MW onshore wind facility, Inaniwa Wind Project in Iwate Prefecture.

Japan > Real estate and construction: International firms and joint ventures Tier 2

Yuko Ino leads the Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP international real estate practice, which handles an array of sophisticated real estate investments, complex cross-border real property and portfolio acquisitions, financings and joint ventures for a client roster of Japanese and global investors. Ino has significant expertise in crowd funding structures, joint venture arrangements, restructurings and workouts, and also advises Japanese companies on real estate outbound investment in the US, often as a joint venture capital partner.

Next Generation Partners: Bengoshi

Yuko Ino - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Practice head(s):

Yuko Ino

Testimonials

‘What makes this practice unique is the necessity of expertise in both domestic and international legal standards. There are only a limited number of firms that are able to provide both expertise, and out of them, Orrick stands out in their outstanding performance.’

‘Yuko Ino, has distinguishably high expertise in a variety of investment structures. She is capable of communicating globally within her organization precisely providing us with knowledge on new investment structures. I highly praise her for her problem solving capabilities, presentation skills and execution capabilities.’

Key clients

Fortress Investment Group Japan

Great Eagle / Langham Hotels Investment

Loadstar Capital

Westbrook Partners

Japan > Corporate and M&A: International firms and joint ventures Tier 3

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s Tokyo Corporate M&A team continues to play a notable role in the technology sector, and features fully bilingual professionals able to advise on key corporate, HR, litigation, antitrust/merger control, and compliance. The team is led by the duo Mark Weeks and Hiroki Sugita who lead a strong technology focused cross-border venture financing and start up advice practice. The team also is instructred by investors such as Paypal, Toyota Motor, and Mizuho securities.

Hall of Fame

Mark Weeks - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Next Generation Partners: Gaiben

Hiroki Sugita - Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Practice head(s):

Mark Weeks; Hiroki Sugita

The firm: Orrick is a global law firm focused on serving clients in the technology and innovation, energy and infrastructure and finance sectors. Founded more than 150 years ago, the firm today has 1,200 lawyers in offices across Asia, Europe, the United States and Africa, and has been named to Law360’s “Global 20” list of the world’s leading international law firms seven times. Clients worldwide call on Orrick for forward-looking commercial advice on transactions, litigation and compliance matters. Orrick is driven by innovation and was singled out by Financial Times as the Most Innovative Law Firm in North America in 2016 and 2017, and is recognized for innovative work in both Asia and Europe.

The Tokyo-based team collaborates seamlessly with the firm’s offices globally to provide the best and most responsive legal solutions for clients. The firm serves both Japanese clients and international clients doing business in Japan on a full range of transactional and regulatory matters, as well as those requiring dispute resolution.

Areas of practice: Corporate/M&A: Orrick in Japan has a long history of helping clients with cross-border M&As, joint ventures and other commercial transactions. With offices in key jurisdictions around the world, the firm is particularly adept in transactions that span multiple jurisdictions. The firm’s Tokyo-based team also advises global investors with Japan-based interests.

Intellectual property: Orrick is one of the most active law firms representing Japanese multinational companies in sensitive patent and IP matters in Japan, China and the US. Orrick lawyers have secured a string of wins before the International Trade Commission in Section 337 matters and before district and appellate courts throughout the US. Tokyo-based IP lawyers are also known for handling complex disputes in Japanese courts, involving patents, copyrights and trade marks, as well as unfair competition and trade secret actions.

Litigation and dispute resolution: Orrick helps Japanese clients navigate complex multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes on antitrust, product liability, international arbitration, FCPA, UKBA and compliance investigations. The Tokyo team also works with the firm’s global data privacy and cybersecurity lawyers to advise Japanese clients on managing risks across a range of data privacy and cybersecurity-relevant issues. Recently Orrick represented a client in the first international commercial mediation proceeding to be administrated by the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA).

Employment law and HR consultation: Orrick advises on dispute resolution cases in Japan, and consults clients on all legal aspects of their employment and HR strategies in Japanese proceedings in multiple languages and under a variety of arbitral rules and governing laws.

Energy and infrastructure: Orrick has decades of experience advising on complex cross-border energy projects in the power, oil and gas and Renewable Energy. The team plays an active role in the reinvigoration of Japan’s green sector. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry turned to Orrick for structuring Japan’s feed-in tariff policy, designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy. Since 2013, Orrick has acted for Setouchi Future Creation, a special-purpose company consisting of GE Energy Financial Services, Toyo Engineering and Kuni Umi Asset Management, as sponsor of the massive 231.44MW Setouchi Solar Project, which will be the largest PV solar project in Japan when it launches in 2019.

Real estate finance: Orrick advises global investors on their cross-border joint ventures, acquisitions of real estate assets, property developments and complex financing transactions in Japan. The team also helps Japanese real estate investors in all phases of real estate investments, financings, developments, fund formation, leasing and operations overseas.

Technology companies: Orrick advises Japanese and global technology-driven ventures at all stages of growth on a wide range of legal and strategic matters. The team is bringing a ‘Silicon Valley’ style practice to Japan and building connections between entrepreneurial companies and venture capital in the US.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
Antitrust and competition	Yoshihiro Takatori	ytakatori@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2911
Banking and finance	Yoichi Katayama	ykatayama@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2921
Corporate M&A	Hiroki Sugita	hsugita@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2953
Cybersecurity and data privacy	Yoshihiro Takatori	ytakatori@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2911
Employment	Yumiko Ohta	yohta@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2829
Energy and Infrastructure	Yoichi Katayama	ykatayama@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2921
Fintech	Yuko Ino	yino@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2908
Intellectual property	Shinsuke Yakura	syakura@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2922
International arbitration	Yoshihiro Takatori	`ytakatori@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2911
Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration	Shinsuke Yakura	syakura@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2922
Mass torts and product liability	Yoshihiro Takatori	ytakatori@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2911
Real estate and finance	Toshihiko Tsuchiya	ttsuchiya@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2910
Real Estate and Real Estate Finance	Yuko Ino	yino@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2908
Technology start-up and venture capital representation	Hiroki Sugita	hsugita@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2953
White-collar and corporate investigations	Yoshihiro Takatori	ytakatori@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2911
White-collar and Corporate Investigation	Shinsuke Yakura	syakura@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2922
Structured Finance	Toshihiko Tsuchiya	ttsuchiya@orrick.com	+81 3 3224 2910

Name	Position	Profile
Jae-Hyon Ahn	Of Counsel	View Profile
Kane Huang	Senior Associate	View Profile
John Inge	Counsel	View Profile
Yuko Ino	Partner	View Profile
Yuko Inui	Of Counsel	View Profile
Kazuo Isshiki	Senior Associate	View Profile
Yoichi Katayama	Partner	View Profile
Yumiko Ohta	Partner	View Profile
Reiko Saito	Senior Associate	View Profile
Hiroki Sugita	Partner	View Profile
Yoshihiro Takatori	Partner	View Profile
Toshihiko Tsuchiya	Partner	View Profile
Minako Wakabayashi	Partner	View Profile
Mark Weeks	Partner	View Profile
Shinsuke Yakura	Partner	View Profile